Tow Vehicle Advice

[Fencer]

I have a Chevy 3500 (well 2 of them) both crew cab dually, both 4x4, both allison trany, one is an 8.1 gas and the other a 6.6 turbo diesel AND a Yukon XL 5.3
As far as towing, the Yukon can not touch the trucks. When I had my 7x14 enclosed track trailer, it would tow, but the wind would kill it the diesel never knew it was there. even my 7x17 open utility trailer will make the Yukon dance at higher speeds with some weight on the trailer. I can run a 38 ft toyhauler 5th wheel at 75-80 with no prob with the trucks.

We are a fam of 5 and can go comfortably on a 10 hr trip in the crew cab (ages 15,12 and 9) with the same amount of fighting we get in the Yukon even though the kids are spaced farther apart.

my .02

 

[07yzfr1]

I DD a '99 F-250, crew cab, 7.3, and it will tow anything I put behind it. That being said my buddy has a 2008 Yukon Denali, it would be a much nicer DD and it has a 9k LB tow rating (not much less than my F250). We have used his Yukon to tow his show truck from OK to TN and back and to Houston and back and it tows great! If I didn't love having a truck bed I would probably get into a suv for the family comfort, etc.

 

[Gorilla]

Fencer;226935 wrote: I have a Chevy 3500 (well 2 of them) both crew cab dually, both 4x4, both allison trany, one is an 8.1 gas and the other a 6.6 turbo diesel

What's difference in gas mileage between the two towing?

 

[ceptorman]

2500 Suburban

 

[goodmatt2002]

An excursion is the ultimate towing vehicle......BUT..... I dont think it will fall in your price range at all or if it does I probably wouldnt buy it. My search took two years and was unable to find ANY 7.3 for under 23,000$ that looked to be in good shape with a reasonable amount of miles, any 7.3 with under 100000k was around $30,000 and up. If you do decide on a 7.3 they are very reliable but tend to be down on power compared to a 6.0 unless you spend$$$$ for modifications. You should be able to find a 6.0 for $17000 to $27000 but expect to spend another $15k to keep it reliable. I know from experience : (... The v10 motors are reliable but suck on fuel economy. If you want the excursion, take my advise, find the cheapest v10 model that has what you want for accessories and do a cummins conversion. You can probably find one with a blown motor for $4-9000 and the conversion should run you about $10-13000 total. I have a 2004 excursion xlt 4x4 with 6.0, 3.73 gears, egr delete, tuner, full exhaust and average 17-19mpg empty and 11-13mpg towing a 8.5x30ft trailer averaging 75mph @21000lbs cgvw.

 

[TripleThreat]

Well, in the end... I ended up deciding to keep the Rover and fix it myself. While it isn't the perfect tow vehicle, it is paid for, the insurance buyback was very reasonable, and I have access to a complete auto body repair facility and the ability to do all of the repair myself.

Given the fact that I am currently enrolled in a doctoral program and am paying tuition every semester, I decided that I didn't want to take on payments.

I was able to source a few Excursions that would have met my needs and would have been in my price range, but I simply opted for the least expensive option at this time...

Once I finish my doctorate degree and get a nice promotion and raise, then I'll buy something new...

Thanks for all of the advice and comments. I was able to learn some things that will guide me in a couple of years once I finish this degree and buy something new... Until then, I'll just keep towing my British bike with my British tow vehicle...

Jeff